14 Jan 2015

Comedy/magic show to benefit Tipton's Hardacre Theater

By Hardacre Film Festival

Improv comedy group and magician to perform all-ages show at Tipton High School

TIPTON, IOWA–ComedySportz, the Rock Island-based improv comedy group, and magician David Casas will perform at a fundraiser to benefit the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association (HTPA) at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 13. The all-ages show will be held in the Tipton High School auditorium.

This is the second Hardacre benefit featuring the ComedySportz "Guys in Ties" troupe in two years. Last April's show attracted hundreds of residents for a night of audience-driven comedy. All skits, songs and games are created from audience suggestions, so previous attendees are guaranteed a brand-new show.

"The ComedySportz 'Guys in Ties' group got such a strong reaction at last year's benefit, we knew we'd need to have them back as soon as possible," said Greg Brown, HTPA president. "The best part is everyone who saw year's show will get a whole new show this time around."

The high-energy, all-ages ComedySportz show features two teams of improv comedy "actletes" competing for points and laughs, with a referee keeping things moving and calling fouls.

According to the ComedySportz website, "the audience of a typical ComedySportz match has everyone, from kids to grandparents and from grade schoolers to college students. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets offended. We are the perfect improv entertainment choice for the entire family or a first date. All ComedySportz matches are Rated E for everyone."

Magician David Casas, a Muscatine native, will open the show with his fast-paced act, including audience interaction and comedy. According to Casas' website, "the combination creates an exhilarating, unique show with the audience laughing, amazed and happily entertained."

Tickets for the show will be $10 for adults and $5 for students, with all proceeds going to the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association.


The HTPA is a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization tasked with renovating Tipton's historic Hardacre Theater, which opened in 1916 and closed in 2013. The group purchased the theater in 2014 after a successful worldwide donor campaign. Donations are now being sought to renovate and reopen the theater.


For more information, go to the HTPA website at thehardacre.org.


--END--

31 Jul 2014

Hardacre Film Festival 2014 continues tradition Aug. 2

By Hardacre Film Festival

Iowa's longest-running film festival has new location, full day of independent cinema

TIPTON, Iowa–The Hardacre Film Festival, Iowa's longest-running film festival, will celebrate its 17th year this Saturday, Aug. 2, with a new location at the Tipton High School auditorium.

This year's festival is a one-day event featuring 12 films, all of which will get Iowa premieres at Hardacre. A handful of filmmakers will present their films, while others will give audience Q&As via Skype, a first for the Hardacre festival.

This will be the first Hardacre Film Festival to take place entirely away from the Hardacre Theater, which is being gutted to prepare it for renovation. The Hardacre Theater Preservation Association, a Tipton-based nonprofit organization, purchased the theater in February and is raising funds to renovate it. Learn more at http://thehardacre.org/

For a schedule and list of films from Hardacre 2014, go to http://hardacrefilmfestival.com.

What:    Hardacre Film Festival

Who:    Festival directors, volunteers, patrons, visiting filmmakers, and members of the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association will be available for interviews.

When:    Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The festival director will also be available for interviews Friday, Aug. 1.

Where:    Tipton High School auditorium (second floor)

400 E. 6th Street

Tipton, IA 52772

Contact: Will Valet

Director, Hardacre Film Festival

319/325-3974

hardacrefilmfestival@gmail.com

14 Jul 2014

Short-but-Sweet 17th Hardacre Film Festival Packed with Documentaries and Short Films

By Hardacre Film Festival

Iowa's Longest-Running Film Festival to Hold Single-Day Event Aug. 2

TIPTON, Iowa?The "abbreviated" Hardacre Film Festival?without the Hardacre?is set to show some buzzed-about documentaries and short films at a single-day event Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Tipton High School auditorium.

Iowa's longest-running film festival, now celebrating its 17th year, will show films from all over the world?three feature-length documentaries and nine short films. The festival will be held at the newly renovated Tipton High School auditorium, as the festival's namesake?the Hardacre Theater?is undergoing renovation and fundraising.

"As usual, all of our selections this year have never been seen by an Iowa audience, and nearly all of them had world premieres earlier this year at some of the biggest film festivals in the world?Sundance, Tribeca, South by Southwest. They're some of the most talked-about films on the festival circuit this year," said Will Valet, festival director. "We're really glad to continue the festival in Tipton while the theater is closed and in a location that's comfortable and close to the downtown."

The one-day festival is shorter than previous years but is packed with films. Among the highlights:

Features:

  • The Hand That Feeds, Audience Award winner at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, documents efforts of low-wage workers at New York City's Hot and Crusty cafe chain to battle poor working conditions and form their own independent union, making history during the course of a rollercoaster year filled with shocking reversals of fortune.

  • Meet the Patels, a Top 10 Audience Favorite at HotDocs 2014, is a hilarious and heartfelt documentary about actor Ravi Patel's efforts to find love and please his traditionalist parents in the process. It turns out, love is a family affair.

  • The Overnighters, winner of a 2014 Sundance Film Festival jury prize, follows a group of desperate, broken men who move to North Dakota to find their fortune in the oil boom and the local pastor who risks everything to help them.

Shorts:

  • Me + Her?a dazzling, wordless short with cardboard puppet characters?tells the story of a couple separated by illness who must think outside the box to be together forever.

  • Passer Passer is a hypnotic animated short in which a city symphony celebrates the hidden world of background noise.

  • Scattered takes an unflinching look at the filmmaker's late father, a man who was fixated on documenting his life on film and who had been a mystery to her for most of her life, and unravels the story that he created with his camera to reveal the story that actually was.

  • Verbatim is a comedy short in which a jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to figure out if a dimwitted government employee has ever used a photocopier. All dialogue in this short comes from an actual deposition filed with the Supreme Court of Ohio.

  • Yearbook is an animated tale of a man who is hired to compile the definitive history of human existence before Earth blows up.


The complete list of films and a schedule for the 2014 festival are available online at hardacrefilmfestival.com. Moviegoers can also watch for updates on the Hardacre Facebook page (facebook.com/hardacrefilmfestival) and Twitter feed (@hardacrefest).

Each audience member will get an all-festival pass good for the entire festival along with a catered after-party at the Spear House and Barn Bed & Breakfast, 120 E. 6th St., in Tipton. Locally made foods and wines will be available at the event.

Downtown Tipton comes alive Hardacre weekend with the Ridiculous Days sidewalk sale event, ensuring great shopping and a full weekend for attendees.

The festival's primary sponsors are the Tipton Chamber of Commerce and Produce Iowa. For more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.

For more information about efforts to save the Hardacre Theater, go to thehardacre.org.

SIDEBAR

17th Annual Hardacre Film Festival

Saturday, Aug. 2

Tipton High School auditorium

400 E. 6th St.

Tipton, Iowa

Admission to the one-day event is $20, which includes a full day of films and admission to the catered after-party at the Spear House and Barn in Tipton. Passes can be purchased at the event. Screenings will run from 9 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m., with the after-party to follow.

For a full schedule or more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.

--END--

10 Jun 2014

Hardacre Film Festival to continue with special one-day event Aug. 2

By Hardacre Film Festival

Iowa's longest-running film festival finds alternate home while Hardacre Theater undergoes renovation

TIPTON, Iowa?A Hardacre Film Festival ... without the Hardacre.

Iowa's longest-running film festival will celebrate its 17th year at the newly renovated Tipton High School auditorium. This single-day event will feature short and feature-length films from all over the world during a single-day event Saturday, Aug. 2.

The Hardacre Theater, the longtime home and namesake to the Hardacre Film Festival, is currently undergoing renovation. The theater was purchased by the nonprofit Hardacre Theater Preservation Association in February 2014 and is raising funds to renovate and reopen the theater in time for its 100th anniversary in April 2016.

"We wanted to find a way to continue the festival even while the theater is out of commission, and we're really lucky to have the brand-new Tipton High School auditorium just a few blocks from the Hardacre Theater," said Will Valet, director of the Hardacre Film Festival. "It's a comfortable alternative to our old-fashioned movie palace."

The Hardacre Film Festival shows the latest films touring the film festival circuit. Many films premiere at Hardacre, while others have had their premieres at the world's most prestigious film festivals, including South By Southwest, Sundance and Tribeca. Most films shown at Hardacre have never been seen in Iowa, and filmmakers from around the world attend the festival and interact with the audience.

The list of films selected for the 2014 festival will be released in July.

"The selections at the Hardacre Film Festival were a great cross-section of what is happening in independent film today," said Nicole Cosgove, producer of "GUN," Best Short Film winner at Hardacre 2013. "It's an honest representation of drama, comedy and warm, authentic storytelling. I was impressed with the caliber of films and the filmmaker turnout. It's a true hidden gem on the festival map?a creative Midwestern town in which artists can creatively connect with the community and filmmakers from across the country."

The Tipton Chamber of Commerce is the festival's primary sponsor. The festival takes place during Tipton's Ridiculous Day sidewalk sale event.

Tickets for the one-day festival event are $20, including continuous showings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a catered dinner for all attendees.

For more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com. For more information about efforts to save the Hardacre Theater, go to thehardacre.org.


- END -



Infographic


What: 17th annual Hardacre Film Festival

When: Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Tipton High School auditorium, Tipton, Iowa

How much: $20 per attendee

16 May 2014

Live music and comedy show to benefit Hardacre Theater July 18

By Hardacre Film Festival

Quad-Cities-based Bucktown Revue to hold fundraising performance in Tipton

TIPTON, IOWA?The Davenport-based music and comedy variety show Bucktown Revue will bring its Travelin' Show to the Tipton stage on Friday, July 18, to benefit Tipton's Hardacre Theater Preservation Association (HTPA). The show is appropriate for all ages and will be held in the Tipton High School auditorium.

This is the third in a series of 2014 fundraising events presented by the HTPA, the nonprofit organization that purchased the theater in February with donor funds. The group is now raising money to renovate and update the theater. All proceeds from this event will benefit the theater's renovation.

"One of our biggest 2014 goals is to communicate our vision for the Hardacre Theater as a venue for all kinds of entertainment?not just movies," said Greg Brown, HTPA president. "The Bucktown Revue is just the kind of unique entertainment we want to bring to downtown Tipton. The Bucktown Revue has gained a huge following in the Quad-Cities as a one-of-a-kind live entertainment experience. We think audiences of all ages will love it."

The Bucktown Revue is an old-fashioned radio-style variety program, performed live in front of an audience. In the tradition of such radio programs as "A Prairie Home Companion" and the Grand Ole Opry, the family-friendly Bucktown Revue show celebrates Mississippi River Valley folk music and culture through a combination of music, storytelling, poetry and humor. Each show features a variety of regional musicians, with comic sketches and monologues, to offer an eclectic night of entertainment. The show is performed monthly at the Nighswander Junior Theater in Davenport.

The Bucktown Revue's Tipton show will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, July 18, at Tipton High School. Tickets are $12 each.

"It's always fun to take the Bucktown Revue on the road," said Michael Romkey, producer of the Bucktown Revue. "The show is very Midwestern in its approach and values. The entertainment is casual, down-home and delivered with a sense of humor. We're real fans of the Hardacre Theatre and delighted to be able to help the cause. The Hardacre is one of those wonderful old theaters?just a gem. We're happy to know an effort is being made to preserve it for other generations."


For more information about this event, go to the HTPA website at thehardacre.org. To find out more about the Bucktown Revue, go to bucktownrevue.com.


--END--

27 Feb 2014

ComedySportz show to benefit Hardacre Theater April 4

By Hardacre Film Festival

Regional improv comedy team to hold fundraising show in Tipton

TIPTON, IOWA–The Rock Island-based improvisation comedy troupe ComedySportz will perform at a fundraiser to benefit the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association (HTPA). The show will take place Friday night, April 4. The show is appropriate for all ages and will be held in the Tipton High School auditorium.

This is the second in a series of 2014 fundraising events presented by the HTPA, the nonprofit organization that purchased the theater in February with donor funds. The group is now raising money to renovate and update the theater.

"With this full calendar year of fundraisers, we're hoping to show the community the kind of entertainment we want to bring to the Hardacre Theater once it's renovated, including live entertainment from outside the Tipton community," said Greg Brown, HTPA president. "There will be something for everyone, and ComedySportz is really a show for everyone to enjoy."

The high-energy, all-ages ComedySportz show features two teams of improv comedy "actletes" competing for points and laughs, with a referee keeping things moving and calling fouls. Every show is unique, with new games, players, and audiences supplying all-new suggestions.

According to the ComedySportz website, "the audience of a typical ComedySportz match has everyone, from kids to grandparents and from grade schoolers to college students. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets offended. We are the perfect improv entertainment choice for the entire family or a first date. All ComedySportz matches are Rated E for everyone."

Quad Cities-based comedian Jeff Adamson will provide the opening act. Adamson has performed standup for more than 20 years, opening for such act as Jeff Dunham, Howie Mandel, Sinbad, and Darrell Hammond. The ticket price for the show will also be determined soon.

For more information, go to the HTPA website at thehardacre.org.

--END--
20 Feb 2014

Musical production benefits Hardacre Theater efforts

By Hardacre Film Festival
'The Last Five Years' to be performed Feb. 22-23

TIPTON, Iowa?The Cedar County Stoplight Players' production of the two-person musical "The Last 5 Years" will perform Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23,  at the Tipton High School auditorium. All proceeds from the production  to go to Hardacre Theater Preservation Association and its efforts to  renovate Tipton's historic Hardacre Theater.

The Saturday, February 22 performance is at 7:30 p.m., while the Sunday, February 23 performance is at 2:30 p.m.  Both performances will be held at the Tipton High School auditorium.  The play features adult themes and language. All tickets are $10.
The  play features Tipton-area native Tracy Pelzer-Timm and Des Moines  native Adam Nardini as a couple who fall into and out of love, with a  stage design that acts as a split screen separating their romantic  trajectories. The  story explores the five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein  (Nardini), a rising novelist, and Cathy Hyatt (Pelzer-Timm), a  struggling actress. The show uses a form of storytelling in which  Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order (beginning the show  at the end of the marriage), and Jamie's is told in chronological order  (starting just after the couple have first met). The characters do not  directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle as their  timelines intersect.

The  musical, written by Jason Robert Brown, was directed by Janet Whaley,  with musical direction by Julie Thomas and technical direction by Brad  Goetz.

For more information about the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association, go to http://thehardacre.org

--END--
10 Jan 2014

Donuts for donors: Hardacre Theater benefactors get sweet treat Saturday

By Hardacre Film Festival

Nonprofit preservation group teaming with local businesses to save historic theater

TIPTON, Iowa–The Hardacre Theater Preservation Association (HTPA) is teaming with a local restaurant to reward donors working to save the historic Hardacre Theater.

Tiffiny's Tipton Bakery is giving away free donuts, rolls and crescents Saturday morning, Jan. 11, to people who've donated to the HTPA's online campaign to save the Hardacre Theater. The crowdfunding campaign through the website Indiegogo has raised more than $10,000 in two weeks. It must raise $60,500 to meet the purchase price by Jan. 31, which will be supplemented with a $40,000 matching donation from an anonymous party.

A "donation station" will also be set up at the bakery for participants to join the funding drive. HTPA members will be present to help community members donate.

The Hardacre Theater Preservation Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at thehardacre.org.

What:    Hardacre Theater Preservation Association donor reward event

Who:    Members of the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association and Hardacre donors will be available for interviews.

When:    Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014

7 a.m. to Noon

Where:    Tiffiny's Tipton Bakery

405 Cedar Street, Tipton, IA 52772

Contact: Will Valet

Vice President, Hardacre Theater Preservation Association

319/325-3974

willvalet@yahoo.com

29 Jul 2013

Hardacre Film Festival Announces 2013 Award-Winning Films

By Hardacre Film Festival

TIPTON, Iowa - The jury of the 2013 Hardacre Film Festival has announced its award-winning films in six categories. The festival will take place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3, at the Hardacre Theater, 112 E. 5th St. in Tipton.

"We're really excited to share such entertaining and innovative films with our audience," said Will Valet, festival director. "Some of these films premiered at the top film festivals in the world and are having their Iowa or Midwest premieres at Hardacre."

The 2013 award-winning films are:

Best Narrative Feature

WINNER–"Scrapper" tells the story of Hollis, whose drive in life is to collect scrap metal to pay for the care of his aging mother. That life is turned upside down when he meets Swan, a teenage runaway. Producer and co-writer Ed Dougherty will present the film at Hardacre Friday night, Aug. 2.

RUNNER-UP–"The Little Tin Man," a comedy-drama, features Iowa native Aaron Beelner as a little person looking to score a big role in a remake of "The Wizard of Oz." Beelner will present the film at Hardacre Saturday night, Aug. 3.

Best Documentary

WINNER–"William and the Windmill" profiles young Malawian William Kamkwamba, who builds a power-generating windmill from scrap parts, rescuing his family from famine and poverty and setting him on a life path he didn't expect.

RUNNER-UP–"The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne" tells how a poor African American woman from segregated 1930s America became one of the world's most notorious and successful jewel thieves. This documentary presents the unapologetic 81-year-old Doris Payne as her life of crime catches up to her.

Best Short Film

WINNER–In "Gun," directed by University of Iowa alum Spencer Gillis, a terrifying break-in prompts Roy to buy a handgun to protect his family, but the power he feels carrying the weapon leads down a path that may have tragic consequences. Producer Nicole Cosgrove will present the film at Hardacre Saturday night, Aug. 3.

RUNNER-UP–In "Paper People," the lives of a suicidal U.S. Marine, a single mother, and her precocious daughter collide with incendiary results.

Best Student Film

WINNER–In "Escaping the Island," a young man struggles with society's obsession with technology.

RUNNER-UP–In "Christian Dating 101," two young people revel in the social boundaries of Christian dating.

Best Animated Film

WINNER–In "Double Occupancy (Zweibettzimmer)," two old men share a hospital room in which the window is the only connection to the outside world, and thus, it becomes a highly demanded resource. This is a dark parable about the greed of man;an animated, psychologically intimate play about the power of imagination and illusion.

RUNNER-UP–"Animation Hotline" is a series of daily animations that use messages left on the Dusty Studio voicemail for content. The project was first seeded by giving out the phone number to a few poets and friends, but it eventually caught on with bloggers and as the phone number proliferated through the internet, the messages increased.

Best Iowa Film

WINNER –In "Bring Me a Dream," young Lynn disobeys her parents by not going to bed on time and Mr. Sandman decides that it's time to pay Lynn a little visit. Director Mikeal Burgin and star Kaylynn Burgin will present the film at Hardacre Friday night, Aug. 2.

Hardacre will also give an Audience Award, to be voted on by the audience and announced at the conclusion of the festival Saturday, Aug. 3.

Hardacre 2013 will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3. Admission to any of Hardacre's programs, Friday Night, Saturday Day or Saturday Night, is $8 each. An all-festival pass can be purchased for $20. Films on Friday begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, screenings will run all day from 9 a.m. through 11 p.m.

For a full schedule or more information about the Hardacre Film Festival, go to hardacrefilmfestival.com.


-- END --

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